You'll Be Alright
by CaptainKatie643
Summary: Rue has a completely different life that we never knew about. She had a boyfriend, a best friend and a family. This is Rue's story. Rue's life before the Hunger Games, all in Rue's POV. The story starts on the day before the reaping and ends when she dies
1. Chapter 1

You'll Be Alright-Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG**

**Rue's POV**

I woke up to the loud blaring of the horn signaling that it was time to wake up and go to work. I yawned at looked around the small room filled with my 5 younger brothers and sisters. They worked the same amount of time as I did, 5 hours, gathering berries, but if they didn't work, what are they going to do by themselves? My mother and father work all day, I work all day, so who would take care of them? What a cruel world this is.

I went around waking everyone up that wasn't already up. They all stood up lazily and walked over to the closet and dresser where we kept our clothes and got dressed. I helped the youngest, Taneisha, get her clothes on. She was 4 years old and being forced to work in the plantations. I sighed and held the door open for her and the rest of the children to go out into the kitchen to eat what little breakfast there was. My parents were already dressed and ready and one lonesome loaf of dry stale bread was sitting on the table.

My mother started to cut everyone a fair share of the bread and handed it to them as they walked by and out the door. I went to go get mine and my mother handed me a slightly thicker piece of bread and winked at me. I gave her a thankful smile and headed out the door. When we were out of my mother's sight, I broke off a piece and handed it to Taneisha.

I guided Taneisha and my other 3 brothers to the place where the little kids were supposed to check in before they were sent into the berry fields. I gave my little sister a hug and pushed her after her brothers. My other sister, Renalda, suddenly came up behind me and gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheek. She was 9 years old and next year, she would join me and the other boys and girls in the trees to pick fruits. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Be good, Ren." I told her.

"I will, Rue." She said and then walked into the building to get herself checked in before she went to work.

I sighed and walked to the place where I was supposed to check in before I went to work. I saw my best friend standing under our tree. We were supposed to wait there for each other before and after work. I smiled and ran up to her. We hugged and started to talk.

"Hey, Rue. How was your morning so far?" Shakia asked me.

"Same as usual. Woke up, woke the kids up, ate breakfast, walked the kids to work, came here. How about you?" I asked her.

"Same. Woke up, ate breakfast, walked here with my brother." She told me. Her older brother was Thresh; he was a big guy, but a big sweetheart. He was always looking out for me and my family. He worked down at the storage units and where they loaded the grain and crops onto the trains to send away to other districts. He had huge muscles so it kind of worked out.

"Cool. Let's head inside so we can get checked in before everyone gets here." I said. I took her hand and we walked into the building and went straight to the check in table. We had to check in every morning and check out before we left because they wanted to make sure that you showed up to work every day or they would come and get you. You were supposed to tell someone if you were sick and they would tell it to the check in people so they wouldn't come looking for you.

My district is obviously very strict. There are watch towers everywhere, with blaring lights that shine down on us. We aren't allowed to have any of the food we produce, it's punishable by death. So, as you wouldn't expect, we are usually very hungry. The people in charge make sure that we are healthy enough to work on the plantations though.

"Your name?" Asked the check in lady.

"Rue Nemsley." I said. She flipped through her papers for a second and checked off my name.

"Next." Called out the lady. Shakia stepped forward; I walked a little bit off to the side. "Your name?"

"Shakia Charsy." Answered Shakia. The lady once again flipped through her papers and checked off her name.

We held hands again and strode off towards The Gear section. This is where we got our equipment that was needed for our jobs. Since this was the Fruit Picking building, our gear consisted of gloves, 10 big, but thin, baskets, a satchel type bag that slung across your shoulder and midsection, a big water jug and a lunchbox of food that should last you the whole day. The baskets and bag were to put your fruit in. The gloves to help you climb.

Once we grabbed our gear, we headed out to the orchard.

"See you later? Remember to whistle." Said Shakia.

"I will, meet me by our tree." I told her as she walked to her section of trees. We each had sections to pick fruit in, since District 11 stretched out for miles, the orchards were pretty big. My section was the closest to the building so I could always see the flag, signaling when it was time to go home, first. I then would whistle a 4 note tune and the mockingjays would spread it all around the orchard. The fruit pickers would hear this and head back to the building. The tune was to tell the kids who couldn't see the flag because they were way too far out in the orchard. Before I started the whistle, the kids or Peacekeepers would have to go get them.

I walked to my section; it didn't really take that long, and set up. I laid out my food and water in a shady spot on the ground then I slipped on my gloves and made sure that my bag was still on me. I climbed up into the first tree. It was an apple tree; I always started with this tree.

I was quick and nimble on the branches, already familiar with which ones I could put all my weight on and which ones I couldn't. The whole time, I was snatching apples. Soon my bag became full and I hopped down onto the ground. I poured the apples into the first basket and climbed back up the tree.

As I continued higher, I started to sing to myself. I usually didn't sing often, but the other kids complimented on my singing after we were finished working. I didn't sing much because I thought that everyone may get confused with my 4 note tune and with my singing.

I was singing an old song. My mother had taught it to me. She wasn't much of a singer, but she knew the tune and the lyrics. It was called "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder". It was about someone having a bad day and they knew that tomorrow will be a better day. It usually cheered me up and I hoped that it cheered the other kids up also.

_Black clouds are behind me, I now can see ahead  
Often I wonder why I try hoping for an end  
Sorrow weighs my shoulders down  
And trouble haunts my mind  
But I know the present will not last  
And tomorrow will be kinder_

Tomorrow will be kinder  
It's true, I've seen it before  
A brighter day is coming my way  
Yes, tomorrow will be kinder

Today I've cried a many tear  
And pain is in my heart  
Around me lies a somber scene  
I don't know where to start  
But I feel warmth on my skin  
The stars have all aligned  
The wind has blown, but now I know  
That tomorrow will be kinder

Tomorrow will be kinder  
I know, I've seen it before  
A brighter day is coming my way  
Yes, tomorrow will be kinder  
  
_A brighter day is coming my way  
Yes, tomorrow will be kinder_

When I was finished, I heard the mockingjays wait for a couple seconds, listening for another verse before bursting out the song. It was a beautiful sound, listening to the mockingjays sing my song. I hummed along to it for about 10 minutes until the song wore off and the mockingjays returned to their normal melodies.

I was just about finished with the apple tree and I was moving on to the orange tree planted next to the apple tree. This day isn't so bad now is it?

~o~0~o~

I saw the flag telling me that it was time to return to my sweet family. I turned towards the vast orchard and whistled my 4 note tune. The mockingjays spread it around immediately and I hopped down from my tree.

I emptied what was left in my bag into the baskets and gazed into them. I had filled up about 8 of them. The people in charge asked us to at least fill up 3 baskets. But you always got a bonus in cash if you filled up more. I stacked the empty baskets on top of each other and put them underneath a full basket. I decided that I would need a cart to carry my fruit so I walked up to the building and retrieved a cart. The cart just had a flat piece of metal on wheels with a handle to push or pull.

I loaded the baskets on to the cart and put my empty lunchbox and water jug on the cart too. I was beginning to see some kids walking by me to get a cart. This was one of the luxuries of being close to the building. I could get in and out of the orchards fast, the carts were right there and I didn't have to walk that far.

I started to pull my heavy cart towards the building. At least I was getting extra pay for this. When I pulled into the building, I continued towards the Harvested Fruit section. When I got there, a man walked up to me and asked how many baskets I had filled up. Yes, he asked me, he was too lazy to count himself.

"8 baskets." I told him. He then asked my name. "Rue Nemsley."

He found my name on his clipboard and wrote 8 next to my name.

"How much extra pay will I get for this?" I asked him. He gave me a weird look.

"Do I look like I know everything?" He asked before turning his back on me and pulling the cart towards the door that led to where the fruit would be sorted and washed and then sent out to the Districts.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked to The Gear section. I dropped off my lunchbox and water jug. Then I went to the check out lady.

"Name?" She asked.

"Rue Nemsley." I told her. I waited till she found my name before walking out the door. When I reached the door most of the kids started to come inside.

I walked outside hoping to feel relief after working for 5 hours but I didn't. I sat under our tree trying to get some shade. I could feel the sun burn on my skin already. I usually tried to keep myself covered but the pear tree I was working on didn't have many leaves.

After about 10 minutes, kids started to walk out of the building. They looked tired and sunburned. I saw Shakia come out and I waved her over. She looked exhausted. She trudged over to me and plopped down next to me.

"Hey, Shakia. Long walk?" I asked, half joking. She glared at me; her section of trees was farther away than usual.

"Hey look. It's your boyfriend." Teased Shakia. I whipped my head towards the building and saw my secret crush Kaden walk out of the building with his friends. We knew Kaden from our childhood. We went to school together and our parents knew each other, so we spent most of our childhoods together.

"He is not! I don't even like him!" I lied. Shakia saw right through my lie, I was bad at lying and she knew it.

"Look he's coming over here. Quick, act natural." She said. Kaden walked to our tree and the whole time he was looking at me, smiling. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks.

"Hey Rue." Said Kaden, giving me a gorgeous smile. I smiled back at him, hoping I didn't look like a blushing idiot. "Hey Shakia. What's going on guys?"

"Nothing much, just chilling under this tree." Answered Shakia. I nodded.

"So Rue, do you want to, like go out with me tonight?" He asked. My eyes widened in shock, he actually asked me out.

"Really?" I asked. Shakia just looked at us with an amused expression.

"Yeah, really." Said Kaden as he chuckled at my reaction.

"Sure! I would love to! Where are we going?" I asked, I probably looked like an idiot with this big smile on my face.

"I was thinking to the meadow. We could have a picnic and just hang out." He said. "If that's alright with you." He quickly added.

"I'll be there, how about at 6?" I said.

"Perfect, I'll see you." He said, slowly walking away with this dreamy look in his eyes and a big smile. I am pretty sure I looked the same way. As soon as he left, Shakia couldn't shut her mouth.

"He's totally into you! I knew that he liked you and I knew that you liked him!" She said.

"Shhh!" I said, putting my hand over her mouth. "I got to head back to my house. I have to start dinner early since I won't be there."

I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my pants before holding my hand out to Shakia. She took my hand and brushed off some dirt off of her pants too. We walked home together with Shakia asking me question after question. She kept asking what was I going to wear and if we were going to kiss and on and on. I tried to just answer truthfully but most of those things I hadn't even thought about. When we showed up at Shakia's house, we hugged goodbye.

"Tell me _everything_ tomorrow. Get up extra early so we can have time to talk before the reaping." She said before hugging me one last time. I waved her goodbye before heading to my house.

**Here are the names of Rue's siblings, their ages and how to say their names. Just in case you get confused.**

**Renalda (ra-nall-da)-9 years**

**Toku (toh-koo)-8 years**

**Javier (ha-vee-air)-7 years**

**Cesar (say-zar)-6years**

**Taneisha (ta-nee-sha)-4 years**

**The song "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder" is real and on the Hunger Games soundtrack if you want to get it.**

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


	2. Chapter 2

You'll Be Alright-Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the THG**

**Rue's POV**

My parents wouldn't be home for about another couple hours or so. The adults worked longer than kids. All kids got out of work at the same time. If the kids were too young to go home and be by themselves, then they were put into a daycare and sent home when the parents got out of work. Taneisha would be sent to the daycare if I was too young but once you become a fruit picker, you become the second parent.

When I got home, Renalda and Taneisha were already home.

"Where are the boys?" I asked.

"They were just playing tag when they got out of work with some friends. I'm sure they will be home any minute." Replied Renalda. And sure enough, Toku, Javier and Cesar walked through the door all sweaty and dirty.

"Go wash up. I can't have you guys tracking dirt around the house. Mom will be furious." Scolded Renalda. I chuckled; Renalda is more of a mom than I will ever be.

I started on dinner. I decided that we should have a stew. I sent Renalda and Taneisha out to our garden to get some herbs and vegetables. I took out what was left of the groosling that we had last night. I put a pot of water to boil over a fire and started to prepare the groosling.

"Why are you making dinner so early, Rue?" Asked Renalda. I grabbed some toys out of the toy box we had and set up a play area for Taneisha.

"I'm not going to be here for dinner and I didn't want to put all the stress of making dinner on mom and dad or you." I said.

"I could have taken care of it." Complained Renalda.

"Ren, you are 9 years old. You can't do everything." I told her.

"Yeah, but you are only 12. You can't do everything, either." She argued back.

"But I am the oldest and I was put in charge of you guys while mom and dad are gone." I told her. "How about you put in the groosling, vegetables and herbs when the water boils?"

"Fine. Thanks, Rue. You know, for looking out for me." She said and hugged me.

"I'm going to go check on the boys and make sure that they are ok in the bathroom. I'm also taking Taneisha with me; I'm going to wash her up too. So you don't have to worry about that." I said and picked her up.

~o~0~o~

I checked the clock and it was 5:00. I had enough time to take a shower and get ready. And then make sure that Renalda had everything under control. Even though the Peacekeepers said she was too young to handle 4 children on her own, I knew she could do it. Anyway, she would only be home alone for an hour and a half.

I took a shower and made sure that I scrubbed every bit of dirt off of me. I wanted to look nice for Kaden. When I was done, I put some of the aloe cream that was free in my district because of how often sunburn happened, on my skin and I was immediately soothed.

I searched through my dresser to find suitable clothes. I found my reaping dress but decided that I would wear that tomorrow. I pulled out my jean shorts. They were rare in District 11 but I had gotten them as a gift one year. I found a light blue shirt to go with it. It was a regular t-shirt but it hugged my sides. I paired it with my black tennis shoes.

I brushed my hair out and just left it like that. There wasn't much I could do with my hair since it was shorter.

I walked into the kitchen and looked at the clock, it was 5:30. That hadn't taken long.

"Fancy! You are looking good, Rue!" Exclaimed Renalda. I twirled around twice, smiling.

"Thanks, Ren! How's dinner coming along?" I asked, while checking on Taneisha.

"Just fine."She said while stirring the food in the pot. "So, where are you going tonight?"

"To the meadow to have dinner." I said, trying not to make a big deal out of it. I was still embarrassed about going out with Kaden. Renalda gave me a suspicious look.

"With who? Shakia?" She asked.

"No." I paused for a minute before blurting out Kaden's name excitedly.

"Oh my god! No way!" Screamed Renalda. She knew that I had a crush on Kaden also. We jumped up and down for a second before calming down. Ren never gave me crap about liking Kaden so I was comfortable with expressing how I felt about him around her. Shakia always teased me about him so I usually didn't talk about him with her.

We talked a little more about taking care of the kids and to make sure they got showers before bed. I told her that mom and dad would be home around 7:30. By then, the kids should have eaten and started showering. It was just about 6 so I went into the bathroom for a quick check on my outfit and hair.

"Remember, mom and dad will be home at 7:30. Make sure they eat and take showers. I will be home at 9 at the latest. I will tell you everything." I said before hugging her and wishing her luck. I walked over to Taneisha and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Be good for Ren ok?"

She nodded and went back to playing with her toys. I called out bye to the boys who were wrestling in the front yard. I walked back to the house and told Ren to make sure the boys washed up before dinner.

"Yeah, yeah, now hurry up and stop worrying about me. Just get to Kaden." She said, smiling. I smiled back and jogged out of the house seeing that I was already late.

When I got to the meadow, I saw Kaden sitting on a blanket in the middle of the meadow with a picnic basket next to him facing the fence and the wilderness. I smiled and walked over to him.

"Hey." I said sitting down next to him. He turned his head and looked at me, smiling.

"Hey, Rue." He said. "You look beautiful." I blushed and smiled to myself.

"You don't look to bad yourself. So, what's up?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just hanging out with the most wonderful girl in the world." He answered. I giggled. "How about you?"

"Same here. I'm hanging out with the most handsome boy in the world." I said smiling at him. We sat there for a second, just gazing into each other's eyes.

"You know, Rue. I have liked you for a long time. Ever since I first met you, as a kid, I thought you were the prettiest girl I had ever met." He said, breaking the silence.

"Really? I liked you too. You know, when we were kids. I was worried that you didn't feel the same way." I answered looking at the ground.

"Well, you don't have to worry any more. I like you. Well, I actually may love you." He said, blushing. My eyes widened. "That was too much wasn't it? I should have waited longer to tell you that."

"No! Actually, I think I may love you too." I said. He smiled at that and took my hand in his. I smiled back and we watched the forest for a little bit. Just enjoying our presence.

"Are you hungry?" He asked me. I nodded and Kaden opened the basket sitting next to him. He pulled out some bread, water and fruit.

"Wow! You brought all this just for us?" I asked him, he nodded. "Oh no, I couldn't eat all this. Doesn't your family need it?"

"No, they wanted me to have it. I told them I was taking dinner to our picnic and they offered it to me." Said Kaden.

"Tell them I said thanks. I could use a dinner like this every once in a while." I said smiling. He broke the bread in half and put it on a plate for me. Then he added some sliced apples to my plate along with a cup of water. He then took out a candle and lit it. I gasped and hugged him, he laughed. "I can't believe you did this all for me."

"It was nothing." He said, embarrassed. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I watched his face for his reaction, he just smiled.

We then ate dinner together; we asked each other questions about our favorite things and our friends. It was probably the best night of my life. I enjoyed every second of it. The best part was when we held hands and watched the sun set over the trees. It was silent except for the call of the birds and we leaned on each other. I couldn't imagine a happier time in my life.

Kaden took a flat piece of wood out of his pocket along with a carving knife and started carving it. Well, it was already half done. It was starting to look like a flower. I remembered that Kaden was very talented in carving when he was a kid, I didn't know that he still carved.

"Hey Rue, can you start making a grass rope? This is going to be a necklace." He asked me.

"Sure." I said curiously. But I did it anyway.

When he was done, I was positive it was a Rue flower. It had a star shape to it and had the detail to the flower and everything. I gave him the rope and he carved a little hole at the top of the carving. He put the rope through it and took a necklace clasp out of his pocket. He attached it and handed it to me.

"It's beautiful, Kaden! Oh, thank you! I love it." I said smiling; I then put it around my neck. It was a perfect fit. "I'll wear it everywhere."

"You're welcome, Rue." Kaden said smiling. I gave him a hug.

"Want to see something cool?" I asked him. He nodded and I whistled my 4 note tune. The mockingjays repeated it. I smiled, I think that the mockingjays were my favorite animal; they were a symbol of my home.

I looked back over to Kaden and he was staring at me unashamed. I blushed.

"What?" I asked him.

"You are just so beautiful." He smiled. I smiled and blushed even more.

"Can you sing for me?" He asked, laying down on the blanket and closing his eyes but kept his hand in mine.

"Ok." I said hesitantly. I normally didn't like to sing in front of other people but singing to the mockingjays was different because they sang it to the others not me. But I would do it for Kaden. I thought of an old song that my mother had also taught me. It was called 'Safe and Sound'. It was about bad things going on in the world but the person singing it was telling someone else that they will be ok.

_I remember tears streaming down your face  
When I said, "I'll never let you go"  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound

Don't you dare look out your window darling  
Everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold on to this lullaby  
Even when the music's gone  
Gone

Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound

Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
La La (La La)  
La La (La La)  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
La La (La La)

Just close your eyes  
You'll be alright  
Come morning light,  
You and I'll be safe and sound...

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh oh oh.

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oh, oh_

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oh, oh_

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oh, oh_

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oh, oh_

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oh, oh_

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oh, oh_

When I finished the song, the mockingjays continued my song. Kaden and I just sat there and listened to them. It was a beautiful sound. I sighed peacefully, this is where I belong. When the mockingjays finished up, Kaden spoke to me.

"That was beautiful, Rue!" He said.

"Yeah, the mockingjays always sound so good." I said scanning the trees looking for the invisible birds.

"No, I meant your singing, Rue." Kaden said. I slowly turned my head to look at him.

"Really? I never thought I was that good." I said, a smile creeping on to my face.

"Absolutely. I love your singing; I wish you could sing to me all the time." He said with a small smile on his face. I blushed.

"Thanks, Kaden. I would gladly do that." I replied laughing.

After that, Kaden packed up the blanket and we walked hand in hand to my house.

"Remember that song, ok Rue? No matter what, don't forget it, because that is now our song. Whenever you sing it, you can remember me and all the fun things we did tonight. And whenever I get sad or miss you, I will remember your sweet voice and be happy." Said Kaden. I nodded, sensing his seriousness.

"I will always remember, Kaden. Don't worry." I said.

He walked me up to my porch and we looked each other in the eye. I saw something in his eyes, I wasn't quite sure what it was but it looked like love. I had seen it in my parents' eyes.

"Be careful tomorrow, ok? I'll meet you after the reaping. Be safe." Said Kaden before he kissed my cheek. Even if it wasn't on my lips, I loved it.

"I will. You be safe, too. See you tomorrow." I said to him as he walked away. I smiled to myself before opening the door.

I walked in to see my mom and dad sitting on the couch. Ren was also there. I'm guessing that she begged them to let her stay up so that she could see me when I got home. Mom was reading one of her favorite books and dad was playing a game with Ren.

"Hi, sweetie! How did it go?" Asked my mom.

"Yeah, tell me everything!" Said Ren excitedly. My dad just grumbled, he obviously didn't like how I spent the night with Kaden.

"Dad, it was just Kaden. You don't need to worry." I reassured him. My mother gasped excitedly and my dad looked relieved. "You didn't tell them, Ren?"

"I told them you went out with a boy." She responded.

"Well it went great! Well, I'm going to get to bed now, since tomorrow is reaping day." I reminded them. I checked the clock and it was almost 9:30.

"Yeah, we should get to bed, honey." Said my mom to my dad. She took his hand and pulled him with her to their room. "I'm sure you girls will want to talk so you can talk out here. But be quiet, ok? And turn the light off when you are done."

"Ok, goodnight mom." Said Ren.

"Goodnight, mom." I said. We waited until they closed their door and then I sat down on the couch and let the whole night spill out.

It felt wonderful to relive it all again. Ren had a dreamy look in her eyes and I could tell that she couldn't wait for her prince charming. I sure was glad mine had come along.

"And, he made me this!" I showed her my Rue necklace.

"He _made_ you this?" She said. I nodded and Ren looked closer at it.

"Yeah! Isn't he amazing?" I gushed. Ren nodded and she suddenly changed the subject.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" She asked. I froze and clutched my necklace.

"Yeah, I am. It's my first year and my name has been in there more than once. Same with Kaden." I said still holding my necklace. We had to get tessare; it was our only chance to not starve.

"You will be fine. I'm sure of it. Let's go to bed now." Said Ren. I looked at the clock and it said that it was 10.

"Alright." I agreed.

We went into the kids' bedroom and we changed into our pajamas and I took my necklace off. When I got into bed though, I kept it in my hand for awhile, memorizing the grooves and bumps in it before putting it on the dresser.

"Goodnight, Rue." Said Ren, yawning.

"Goodnight, Ren." I told her. I then slipped into a dream filled sleep.

_I was with Kaden, Shakia and my family. We were laughing and having a good time. There was no work or starvation. We were laughing and having a good time together._

_Then I was at the reaping, I was reaped. But nobody could save me, I would be put into the Hunger Games. _

_I appeared in the Hunger Games, I didn't know where I was or what was happening but when I turned around, a huge boy with rippling muscles stabbed a sword right through my heart. _

I woke up sweating and grabbing at my chest. I felt no hole there and sighed in relief. I glanced around the room to see that it was still dark outside and that everyone was still asleep. I took deep breaths and reassured myself that nothing bad would happen. I then fell into a dreamless sleep.

**I shortened Renalda's name to Ren as a nickname in case some of you didn't know who Ren was. Here is Kaden's age and how you pronounce his name.**

**Kaden (kay-den) -12 years old**

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


	3. Chapter 3

You'll Be Alright-Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG**

**Rue's POV**

I woke up early this morning. The horn that usually woke us up was set at a later time today since the reaping didn't happen till 2:00. The old dusty clock that we had on the wall told me it was about 6:00 in the morning.

I stretched in my bed and yawned. Everyone else was still asleep. That was good; it would give me some time by myself. I just wanted a moment to think before the reaping. Get a good hold on reality before I faced the horror of the reaping. There wasn't a chance that I was going back to sleep anyway.

I got up and the first thing I did was put on my necklace. I smiled in spite of the memory and rubbed my fingers over it. I then put on some cotton pants and shirt and looked around the room at my family. They looked so peaceful when they slept. Especially Ren, her usual tough self was replaced by an innocent looking child. So young and beautiful, born into a cruel world.

I sighed to myself and kissed her forehead. I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. I contemplated on grabbing some bread or dried fruit we had but decided against it. My parents were nowhere to be seen so I guessed that they were still asleep.

I walked outside into the morning air. It was starting to warm up already but there was still little dew droplets on the grass. I sat down on the front porch step, bringing back the memories from last night. It brought a smile to my face, making me want to see Kaden again.

Then the reaping came to my mind, pushing away the warm memories. What was I going to do? I had 9 slips in the reaping bowl. One for each of my family members and then one for just being 12 years old. If I got picked, what was my family going to do? I doubt any one would step up to save me, I would definitely rather have me die then Shakia if she volunteered. Ren would watch over everything right? She was going to be 10 next year and then she would be able to watch the kids after school.

I was reassured by that. It made me feel better but then I took in the odds of me being picked. It was my first time and 12 year olds barely got picked. What was I worrying about? The older kids had much more to worry about; they have many more slips of paper put in than I did.

I then felt footsteps coming from behind me, moving the loose floor boards.

"What are you doing up this early, Rue?" Asked my mother. She walked up behind me and sat down next to me. She put her hand on my back and started rubbing circles. I looked into her eyes and they were red, clearly from crying. My forehead creased from her crying over me.

"I just woke up and I couldn't go back to sleep." I told her, leaning into her side. I wanted to comfort her.

"You're going to be alright, Rue. It's your first time; your name has only been in there 9 times. Think of all the other kids and how many times their names have been put in there." My mother reassured me.

"Yeah, I know but it still worries me." I said. We sat there together for a couple minutes, looking at the rising sun.

"I'm going to go get breakfast ready, ok?" She said and kissed my forehead. I nodded and she got up and left.

I still sat there, gazing at the sunrise. My eyes filling with tears at the thought of leaving my family and friends. At leaving Kaden. It was only last night that we had let our true feelings out and now there was a chance that both of us could have a death sentence today.

I decided to not even let my mind go to thinking what would happen if Kaden or Shakia were picked. I got up and walked into the kitchen to help with breakfast. My mother was just putting some left over stew over the fire to warm it up.

I started to set the table for us when my father came out.

"Hey, Rue." Said my father. He wasn't a sociable man but he had a rebellious side to him. I think that Ren got that gene, but she was sociable.

"Hey, dad. Have a nice sleep?" I asked him, I could see that his eyes were slightly red too. He nodded and sat down to read a book. I went back to setting the table.

When I was done with that, I went back to the bedroom. I was going to find our reaping outfits and lay them out so that it wouldn't cause my mother so much stress. Even though the kids weren't going to be reaped, they still had to dress up and attend.

I walked into the room to find a crying Renalda. She was hugging her sides and weeping. I quickly but quietly ran over to her.

"Ren, what's wrong?" I said quietly. I held her in my arms and slowly rocked her back and forth.

"Everything, Rue. The reaping, our jobs, our life. Everything. It's all unfair and too hard." She said, causing a fresh round of tears to come out. I just comforted her in her bed for a couple minutes until she calmed down.

"It's going to be alright, Ren. My name hasn't been in been in there many times and the odds are in my favor. Don't worry; we'll get out of this mess. But we can't escape our lives, but maybe someday we will." I told her, still hugging her.

"Ok, Rue. I believe you." She said and we sat there for awhile.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" I asked her. She nodded and I went to the bathroom for a cool facecloth. I gave it to her and she dabbed her eyes with it and wiped her nose.

"Thanks, Rue." She said, handing me that facecloth back.

"You're welcome, Ren." I said, helping her out of bed and into the kitchen. I left Ren in the capable hands of my mother and went back into the bedroom.

Everyone was starting to wake up now and I had the room to myself. I looked through the dresser and closet for our reaping outfits. I found them packed away in a box in the closet. I took them out and put them on the bed. My reaping dress was in the dresser so I pulled that out.

Mine was a dark blue knee-high dress with little flower designs on it. It was quite old. Ren's was a dark green dress that had a black bow on it. The boys' clothes were just black pants with a button up shirt. Taneisha's dress was light pink with a white bow.

"Rue-ti-too! Time for breakfast." Called Toku, using my old nick name. He usually called me Rue-ti-poo but I guess he was feeling nice today.

"Ok!" I called back. I walked into a full kitchen with a sad family. Well, the boys didn't completely understand what was going on and neither did Taneisha so they were happy.

"We are having warmed up stew!" Said Taneisha, excitedly. The younger ones seemed to be happy we got the day off work. But only my parents, Ren and I knew what was really going on.

"Yes, we are." I said, picking her up and setting her on a chair at the table. I kissed her head before sitting down on my own chair.

The others joined us and we started eating. Ren wasn't talking to anyone and my parent's smiles never really reached their eyes. I knew that Toku understood that getting your name picked was bad but he didn't know how bad.

The conversation at the table was only kept by the younger ones. The rest of us sat quietly. When dinner was finished, we each brought our plates to the wash tub.

"I'll wash the boys in the bath tub." Said my father before leading the boys to the bathroom.

"Why don't we dig out the other bath tub to use so we can be ready faster?" Said my mom, obviously not wanting her hands to be idle.

She led me, Ren and Taneisha to the backyard where we pulled vines and plants out of the tub. We dragged it inside and my mother offered for me to take a bath first. I agreed, remembering that I was supposed to talk to Shakia and Kaden before the reaping.

I spent about 10 minutes in the bath; there wasn't much to wash really since I took a good bath last night. I got out and gave the bath to Ren.

"I'm going to go to Shakia and Kaden's house before the reaping, ok? I'll come back here before we leave." I said, then running into the bedroom to get dressed. I slipped into my dress and quickly brushed my hair out. I made sure that my necklace was in place before heading out the door.

I could hear the cries of parents in the houses around us. I did my best to ignore them. I shuffled down the streets of town and towards Shakia's house. It wouldn't take long to visit her, she just wanted to hear what happened last night, Kaden might want to spend more time with me.

I knocked on their door and it opened to a very huge Thresh. He smiled when he saw it was me, I tried to return the smile.

"Hey, Rue. Here to see me?" He teased. I smiled.

"No! Why on Earth would I want to see a giant monster like you?" I laughed.

"Oh, you think that's funny, don't you?" He said, picking me up and swinging me up over his shoulder. He laughed and I giggled.

"Thresh! Put me down!" I said through my laughing. Mrs. Charsy then walked out of the kitchen smiling at us.

"Ok, you two. Put her down, Thresh." She said, smiling. He put me down and I attempted to push him to get back at him. He didn't even move an inch. Thresh laughed at me and I smiled. He was always going to be like an older brother to me.

"Shakia! Rue's here." Called Mrs. Charsy. I heard Shakia come bounding out of her bedroom and she ran right into me.

"You're here!" She yelled out of excitement.

"Yes, I'm here." I laughed. Thresh quirked his eyebrow at us and rolled his eyes before getting back to whatever he was doing before I came. Mrs. Charsy went back into the kitchen.

"Come on! You have to tell me everything!" She said, dragging me to her room. She shut the door and jumped onto her bed.

"Ok, spill." She said. I took my seat next to her and replayed the night again. Shakia stared into space, imagining the night with a smile on her face. When I got to the part about my necklace, her hand went to my neck. She curiously looked at it, grinning. I continued on with my story.

"I knew you two were meant to be." She said proudly. I just looked down at her bed and smiled.

"I have to get going; I'm supposed to see Kaden before the reaping." I told her. When I looked back at her, her smile was gone. It was probably about me mentioning the reaping.

"Ok, Rue. See you later. Good luck." She said, walking me to the front door.

"Good luck, Shakia." I said, giving her a hug.

I walked down their porch stairs and to Kaden's house. It was now silent outside, it was an eerie silence. I don't remember it being like this on reaping days.

I knocked on Kaden's door and Kaden opened it. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me.

"You came." He said, pulling me inside by my hand.

"Why wouldn't I? I love you, don't I?" I asked him, confused.

"I know, I just didn't know if you meant it." He said. His mother walked into the room before I could respond.

"Hi, Rue! Welcome back. I haven't seen you in awhile." She said, pulling me into a hug. "How's your mother and family?"

"They're fine, same as usual." I replied.

"Great, well we don't have much time before the reaping. It's about 1:15, so I can't let you stay here for long." She said.

"Its fine, I have to go home before we leave." I said. She nodded and left the room.

"Do you want to go outside?" Kaden asked me.

"Sure." I said. He opened the door for me and I smiled at him. We sat on the porch steps, our legs touching.

"Rue, I'm sorry for earlier. I wasn't sure if you actually meant what you said last night." He said worriedly. My forehead crinkled at him in disbelief.

"Of course I meant it! I wouldn't just say I love you because you said it to me." I told him, putting my hand on his. He looked right into my eyes when I did this.

"You mean it?" He asked me. I smiled and nodded yes. He returned the smile and we sat there staring into each other's eyes.

He leaned in towards me and my heartbeat sped up. Was he actually going to kiss me? What was I supposed to do? Do I close my eyes? Am I ready? I leaned in also until our lips touched. It was an amazing feeling, everything my first kiss should be. Sparks flew everywhere and I felt like I was where I belonged, in Kaden's arms.

We pulled away after a couple seconds, smiling. I just had my first kiss with Kaden, well with anyone at all. And it was amazing.

"Well, I should probably get going." I said, standing up.

"Wait." Said Kaden, his hand on my arm when I turned to go down the stairs. "You love me right?"

I smiled; I couldn't believe that he still didn't believe me.

"Always." I said before kissing him one last time. He smiled at me and I turned to walk back to my house.

I smiled the whole way home.

~o~0~o~

I walked into a very busy house when I got home. My mother was chasing Taneisha around, trying to get her into some clothes, my father was scolding Javier and Renalda was yelling at Toku and Cesar while they ran around the house.

I chuckled, I leave the house for 30 minutes and they lose control of the kids. This worries me more about how much they need me and what will happen if I get reaped.

"Rue!" Screamed Taneisha. My mother stopped and looked up at me in relief. Taneisha ran over to me and I picked her up.

"I caught you!" I said, laughing when she screamed.

"Thank you, Rue. I don't know what I would do without you." She said, unable to catch herself before realizing what she said. I handed Taneisha to my mom and she started to apologize.

"Its fine, mom. Just don't mention it." I said. I walked over to Toku and Cesar and caught them both when they ran by me. An arm around each of their stomachs.

"Thanks, Rue. I couldn't catch them." Said Ren, out of breath.

"Why aren't you guys dressed yet?" I asked them.

"Because we don't want to be dressed! We want to run!" Said Toku. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"You can run after the reaping." I told them, taking one of their arms in each of my hands and dragging them to the bedroom where their clothes were. With Ren's help, we managed to get them dressed and their hair brushed.

When we came out of the bedroom, my mother had gotten Taneisha ready and my father had Javier ready. Ren and my parents were also ready. I checked the clock and it said that it was almost 2:00.

"Ready to go?" Asked my mom. The younger ones screamed yes but I was consumed with fear. My happy feeling that I felt not even 10 minutes ago was gone. Ren didn't look to happy either.

My mother carried Taneisha and held Cesar's hand. My dad held Toku and Javier's hands. I held Ren's hand. My brothers kept the talking going and there would be the occasional scolding or laughing. Ren and I walked in silence. It felt like we were going to a funeral.

When we got to the Town Square, kids were already starting to fill it up. My mother and father turned around to give me a kiss on the forehead or cheek and wishing me luck before taking their seats in the section where people who weren't participating sat.

"Good luck, Rue. I love you." Said Ren and she hugged me. I hugged her back and she gave me one last meaningful look before walking after mom and dad.

My heartbeat started to speed up and I started to sweat as I walked to the 12 year old line to get your blood taken. I have never had to do this before. The line went by fairly quickly and it was soon my turn.

"Next." The lady said. I stood there, not moving, my eyes wide. The lady looked up at me. "Your finger?"

I stepped forward cautiously and the woman grabbed my hand and pricked it. A little drop of blood ran out and I winced. The woman pressed it onto a piece of paper before scanning it, confirming that I was indeed, Rue Nemsley. She called out next and I stepped out of line.

I rubbed my finger while looking around for Kaden or Shakia. I couldn't find anyone I knew so I continued to the 12 year old section. I took my place and stood there, waiting for District 11's escort to come onto the stage.

I only had to wait for a couple nerve wracking minutes until she showed up. This year, our escort had on a green dress with all green accessories. It was quite strange.

"Welcome, to the reaping of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. I'm Sonya Mare, District 11's escort." Said Sonya in a Capitol accent. She continued to go on about Panem's history and then they played a video about it.

"Now, it's time to select on man and woman to participate!" She said excitedly. My heartbeat sped up again and my palms started to get sweaty.

Sonya walked over to the reaping bowl for the girls and stuck her hand in it. She pulled a slip of paper out and walked back to the microphone. I held my breath as she opened it, the paper crinkling into the microphone. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

"Rue Nemsley." Called out Sonya. I blinked a couple of times, trying to see if this was real. It couldn't have happened could it? My first time? My name in there only 9 times. "Rue?" Sonya called out.

The 12 year olds around me spread out, revealing me. I slowly walked to the stage, still not believing that this was real. I reached the Peacekeepers and they started to lead me to the stage. I heard someone scream my name, it could only be Ren. And I was right.

Ren came up behind me, screaming my name. I turned my head to look at her and she had tears streaming down her face. Peacekeepers were holding her back and I heard one say that she was too young and to take her away. I turned back around and kept walking, it was for the best.

"Come, Rue. We must pick our next tribute." Said Sonya, pushing me onto her right side. I faced the crowd, scanning it, seeing people with sympathetic expressions. I saw my family, my mother was weeping and Ren was being watched by Peacekeepers. My father looked close to tears and the younger ones were silent, they looked scared and confused. Probably about why their mother was crying, Ren was screaming and their sister's name was called on a microphone.

I looked away from them, not sure if I could watch them. I saw Shakia silently crying, she had tears streaming down her cheeks. I met Kaden's eyes and he had pure agony in them, he wasn't paying attention to anyone but me. I gave him a soft smile and tears from his eyes spilled over. I felt one lonesome tear slowly making its way down my cheek.

_Just close your eyes_

I closed my eyes, imagining last night with Kaden

_The sun is going down_

We were watching the sun set, holding each other's hands

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

But I'm not safe and sound, am I?

Sonya's annoying voice brought me back to reality. She was about to announce the boy tribute for our district. I prayed it wasn't Kaden, but the odds weren't exactly in my favor, now were they?

"Thresh Charsy." Called out Sonya. My eyes widened and I heard an agonized cry come from Shakia.

Thresh walked up to the stage, showing no fear. He looked intimidating; I know I would be scared of him if I didn't know he was a big sweetheart. But that might change when we are in the arena. There can only be one winner. An image of Thresh's hands covered with blood as I cowered at his feet flashed through my mind but I scolded myself for even thinking he would hurt me.

"Our tributes from District 11!" Announced Sonya and then she ushered us into the Justice Building.

Sonya walked ahead of us so it gave me time to talk to Thresh.

"Hey, Rue." He greeted glumly.

"Hey, Thresh. Didn't plan on seeing you here." I said, trying to make a joke but my voice cracked.

"You'll be alright, Rue. I'll protect you." He said, before putting his arm around me and leading me after Sonya. I felt reassured after that.

**I know that you guys have been enjoying the songs in the chapters but I couldn't find a spot for a whole song in this chapter so I used part of one. Please review or PM me if you have any ideas for songs because I am running out of them.**

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


	4. Chapter 4

You'll Be Alright-Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG**

Rue's POV

Sonya led me and Thresh to 2 separate rooms so we could have 3 minutes with our families. It would most likely be the last time I saw mine.

Thresh squeezed my shoulder before walking into his room and I walked into mine. I gasped when I saw the room. It was the nicest room I had ever seen in my life. It had velvet carpets and velvet couches and a glass table. I looked around in awe but was interrupted by the door opening behind me.

My family stood there and a Peacekeeper told us we had 3 minutes. Ren ran to me first, we embraced each other and our family soon joined around us. My mother, Ren and I cried. My father stayed strong and the boys and Taneisha were confused but joined in the hugging.

"You have to try, Rue. You have to come home." Begged Ren.

"I'll try, Ren." I told her.

"I'm so sorry, Rue. I love you so much and I am proud of you. Always remember that." Said my father.

"I love you, Rue. Please remember that and please try to make it out. Please." Pleaded my mother. She kissed my forehead and gave me a hug.

"Rue? Where are you going?" Asked Taneisha. Her forehead was wrinkled and her eyes scrunched up in confusion.

"Just to a far away place where everything will be ok. Don't you worry; I'll see you soon before you know it." I told her, picking her up and kissing her forehead. I hoped I wasn't lying. Taneisha nodded and kissed my cheek.

The boys each took their turns saying goodbye and hugging me. Ren was the one who needed the most comforting. We sat on the couch and hugged, Ren weeping uncontrollably.

"I'll be fine, Ren. If worst comes to worst, I'll see you when it's your time. I'll wait for you." I told her, patting her head and shushing her.

"Time's up." Said a Peacekeeper and started leading the boys out. Taneisha was carried away waving goodbye to me. My mother started crying again and she struggled to hug me one last time, my father looked defeated and helped my mother out of the room.

"Be good, Rue. We love you." Said my father, I nodded at him.

Ren was the one they couldn't control. She was screaming for me and crying, it broke my heart.

"Rue! Please, don't leave me here alone! No, don't let them take me!" She screamed over and over again. She grabbed my hand and I kissed it and let it slip away from mine.

"I'll try, Ren. I'll wait for you. I love you!" I called after her as her fingers slipped off of mine and she was dragged away. My voice had cracked and the tears were now unstoppable. I sat on the couch and held my sides. I rocked back and forth for a little before another knock was heard on the door.

"You have 3 minutes." Said the Peacekeeper. I turned to see who it was and it was Kaden. My face lit up but it did nothing to stop the tears streaming down my face.

"Kaden." I breathed and ran to him. He held me in his arms and we cried for a little bit.

"Rue, you have to come back. You have to win, for me. Please. Come home." He pleaded with me. My eyes watered up again.

"I'll try, Kaden. But I don't have a very good chance." I told him.

"Trying is enough for me. I love you, Rue. I always have and I always will. Nothing will ever change that." He told me, holding my shoulders. "If you don't get out alive," his voice cracked, "will you wait for me?"

"Of course, Kaden. My heart belongs to you. I love you, too." I told him. I pressed my lips to his and we shared a passionate kiss.

"Time's up." Said a Peacekeeper.

"Keep my necklace as your district token." Kaden told me while they were pulling him out the door. "I love you, Rue!"

"I love you, Kaden!" I yelled after him and they slammed the door in my face. I stood there in silence for a second and then broke down in tears. I fell to the ground, shaking. I heard the door open and the Peacekeeper told me 3 minutes and I felt arms around me. I looked up into Shakia's brown eyes.

"Hey." Said Shakia, her eyes were red and puffy, probably just like mine. "I am so sorry for not volunteering for you. I should have and I feel so guilty about it. Especially since my brother is in it now. I should be helping him win; our family needs him the most."

"Don't say that! I need you, your family needs you, my family needs you! I am glad that I am in the Games instead of you. I wouldn't want to watch you die in front of me. I couldn't take it." I told her.

"But you would have volunteered to save me and I didn't." She admitted, I sighed in defeat. She was right about that.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'll help Thresh get home. He's going to have to be there for you and my family when I don't come back." I said, my eyes watering up again.

"I think that he has his mind set on you coming home, Rue. He kept telling us that, he wanted you to come home instead of him. He sees how much you are needed in your family. He sees how much your family loves you. He sees that he isn't as important as you are." Said Shakia. "I forgive you though, when you come home, I will not hold a grudge, my brother thought it was for the best and that will be it." She said, but I wasn't so sure that she was telling the truth. She may have a hard time getting over it but I know she will pull through. But I won't be coming home; the Careers will take me out for sure.

"I love you, Shakia. I will miss you and I will see you soon. You have been the best friend anyone could ask for and I am glad I became friends with you." I said, hugging her.

"I love you too, Rue." She said, her voice cracking. "My parents told me to tell you goodbye and that they will miss you."

"Ok, tell them thanks." I said, a Peacekeeper came into the room telling us time was up and Shakia hugged me goodbye one last time and was led away.

I broke down again; I was still on the ground from before. I placed my face in my hands and cried. How could a girl, so tough, who took care of her 5 younger brothers and sisters, become so weak? Was it possible?

A Peacekeeper came into my room and took me away. He led me to a car that would take us to the train station. Thresh was already there when I got in. Sonya was also sitting in the middle of us, talking about how exciting this was.

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes once more. I focused on staring out the window as the car moved along the streets of District 11. I had never been in a car before and it was very strange how a piece of metal could move around like this.

When we arrived at the train station, we were escorted out of the car and into a train that was labeled District 11. Many cameras and District 11 people were out on the streets just trying to catch a glimpse of the tributes for this year. Most of the District 11 people had a solemn expression on their faces, I recognized this. It was pity. I had been given it before. Whenever I was caring for my younger siblings, and people saw me, they gave me looks of pity. I had grown to hate pity. This time, it was for me, a 12 year old being forced into the Hunger Games.

I kept my eyes downcast, trying to block out the people and the cameras. Thresh put his hand on my back and kept leading me forward. When we entered the train behind Sonya, my breath was taken away.

There were beautiful decorations and a lot of food. This place was nicer than my home could ever be and it was a train. It amazed me how the Capitol could just have fancy trains and all the food they could ever have and the districts were starving.

I sat down on the couch that was made of some satin material and sighed. This was one of the best couches I had ever sat in. Thresh smiled at me a little bit.

"Don't be shy! I'm sure you're starving! Come eat some late lunch." Said Sonya.

I followed after Thresh to the buffet. All this food was laid out in front of us. It was amazing and it smelled delicious. I could eat it all. I pushed past Thresh and grabbed a plate. I started to load my plate with foods that looked good or ones that I wanted to try.

I sat down at the table and dug in. It was the best food I had ever had in my entire life. My favorite was the hot chocolate and fresh chocolate chip cookies. Thresh sat down across from me and also ate his heaping pile of food on his plate.

"That was the best meal I have ever eaten!" I said, patting my stomach when I was done.

"I'm glad, dear. Dinner will be put out around 6:00. So be here around then, you get to meet your mentors then!" Said Sonya excitedly. I hadn't seen her sit down on the couch while we were eating.

I felt my stomach start to hurt and I clutched it.

"I think I'm going to go to my room. My stomach's feeling a little funny." I said, walking out of the car.

"Hope you feel better, dear." Called Sonya.

I found my room by opening all the doors in the car until I found one that didn't look occupied. I found Sonya's room and I figured out it was hers because of all the makeup and I found a couple supply closets.

I lay down on my bed and rolled up into a fetal position. It must have been eating too much food. Someone came into my room and held out a cup of pink liquid to me. My forehead scrunched up in confusion. The person was wearing a red dress with funny makeup on, it was sort of frightening.

The person didn't say anything to me but she motioned to her stomach and I figured out it was medicine.

"Oh! Thank you." I said, swallowing the pink liquid. It didn't taste good but my stomach pain convinced me to swallow it. The woman nodded and quickly out of the room. I wonder why she didn't speak to me.

I figured it was time to take a bath, or a shower, which they probably had here. My stomach was already feeling better. Sonya must have sent her to me; I should thank her when it's dinner time.

I shed my reaping dress, happy to get out of the uncomfortable material. I walked into my bathroom to find the most complicated thing I have ever seen in my life. The shower control panel was touch screen and so many options. I didn't know what to choose!

I decided to go for a subtle fruity smell for my shampoo and conditioner. My body soap was the same. I set my shower for 50 degrees, not knowing what 50 degrees felt like. I found out that it was very cold, so I kept adjusting the temperature until it was perfect.

When I was finished in the shower, I got out and pushed a button on the wall and it dried my whole body and my hair. It was amazing how they came up with all of this technology. I looked through my closet with my towel still wrapped around my body; I was used to wearing it at my house so I wore it out of habit. Plus, I didn't feel totally comfortable in this train. I found some black cotton pants and a dark green shirt. I left my hair the way it was and checked my clock. It was almost 4:00 and I still had 2 hours before dinner.

I lay down on my bed again and I tried to take a nap but I couldn't sleep. I got up and restlessly paced my room. I was going to go crazy in here if I didn't do something. I didn't know if I was allowed out of my room or not. I cracked open my door and stuck my head out. I saw the lady who gave me the medicine outside my door. She was still dressed in an unusual way.

"Excuse me, but am I allowed to walk around the train?" I asked her. She nodded without looking at me. "Thanks." I said and walked out of my room.

I took a right when I came out since I had come from the left when I found my room. There was another 3 rooms that seemed to be bedrooms and smaller doors that I guessed to be supply closets. I walked past all of those and kept going. I opened a door that was at the end of the train car to find a car filled with liquor. I wrinkled my nose at the smell and quickly walked out of the car.

I opened the door at the end of the liquor car and found a strange room. There wasn't much in it but a panel on the wall. I didn't bother to touch it. The walls looked strange though, not like any of the other rooms in the train.

After I looked around, I walked to the door at the end of the train. I put my hand on the handle, hesitating on opening it. I gripped the handle, ready to open it but an arm grabbed my shoulder. I whipped my head around, my hand releasing the handle.

I turned to find a person with the same makeup and similar clothes on as the woman who had gave me the medicine. He slowly shook his head at me and pointed outside through one of the windows. I walked over to one of them and looked out. I noticed how unbelievably fast we were going.

I think he was trying to tell me that we were going too fast for me to go outside. I scowled and groaned, I think I saw the person's mouth twitch with a smile but it was gone too fast for me to smile back.

"So, I can't go outside?" I said, exasperated. The man shook his head. "But I'm going to die of boredom if I don't go outside, I practically live outside!"

I groaned and fell on the couch. The man walked to the panel on the wall that lit up when he touched it. He pushed a couple buttons and the room changed to a different setting. The walls changed to an orchard looking place with a bunch of different trees lined up in rows, going on forever.

I looked around curiously, my mouth turning to a small smile. I was glad that the man changed the room to my comforts but what was I going to do in a room with trees on the walls? The man saw the look on my face and pushed another button on the panel.

Trees began to pop up out of the ground, growing till they touch the ceiling and growing wide and long branches. Even leaves began to grow out at a rapid pace! I gazed around in awe and wonder, a big grin taking over my face. The man's mouth was turning up a bit also. But he quickly wiped it off when I looked at him.

"Thank you so much! This is amazing!" I said, running to the nearest tree. I climbed up it and I sighed, this is definitely where I belong. In the trees, where I could be myself. Where I could let my guard down.

I climbed higher until I reached the ceiling. I jumped to another tree, landing safely on a branch. I smiled widely and continued my jumping and climbing. I climbed lower at one point, looking for the man to thank him again but he was gone.

I sat down on the crook of a branch to rest and thought about my family. How were they doing? Did they have a good lunch without me? Was my mom and dad holding up ok with the kids? I hope that Ren was taking care of things. But I knew that I had nothing to worry about when Ren was there. Then a robotic voice came out of the walls in an invisible speaker.

"It is 6:00. Dinner is ready." It said. I sighed because I had to leave this place but I was so hungry. It was hard to believe how hungry I was after my late lunch. I reminded myself not to eat so much and so fast this time.

I jumped out of my tree and landed on the ground with a soft thud. I walked over to the panel on the wall and looked at it, confused. I found the button that said reset and I decided that it was my best chance at making this place back to the way it was. I tapped it with my finger and the trees shrunk back down into the floor and the walls went back to a black color. I nodded, proud of myself that I had figured out how to do it.

I walked out of the car and into the liquor car. My nose wrinkled again and I realized that I wasn't alone. I saw a female that was pouring a cup of dark liquid into a strange glass. I was stopped in my tracks at how alike we were. She had dark skin and dark hair, like me and she seemed to be quick and light.

"So you're the 12 year old everyone's worried about." Said the woman, sipping on her drink.

"No one has to be worried about me. I can handle myself." I said, making sure she knew that. I knew what was edible and that I should stay in the trees. I also was pretty handy with a slingshot.

"Sure you can. I'm Seeder. I will be you're mentor." The woman said. She started to slowly walk towards me and I instinctively took a step back. This woman had won the Hunger Games, I should be apprehensive. "Don't be scared of your mentor. I am not allowed to kill you, you know." She said and snickered. I looked down in embarrassment.

She circled me looking me up and down; I stayed still and looked forward.

"Good posture, strong muscles." She said, feeling my arm. "Small, but we can work with that. Your image will be sweet and innocent, for sure."

I let her poke and prod me and make comments about me. She then started asking me questions.

"What is your choice weapon?" Seeder asked me, standing in front of me. I looked into her eyes, not breaking eye contact under her intense stare. It was obvious that it would take a lot to please this woman so I stared her down.

"A slingshot, but I prefer to stay in the trees." I responded, keeping my eyes on her.

"What if there are no trees?" She asked, I hesitated. What would I do?

"Run and hide." I said, happy with my answer. I wasn't stupid; I knew that I couldn't take on the Careers or anyone bigger than me.

"What is your strongest point?" Asked Seeder, she continued to sip her drink.

"My quickness and my knowledge on edible plants." I answered confidently.

"Good, good. We will work on your image and your weaknesses later. Let's go eat, I'm starving." She said, walking out of the car. I ran to keep up with her.

"My name is―"

"Rue, I know. I did my research. 5 siblings, mom and dad, works in the orchards, you know Thresh, your sister obviously loves you very much, a boy named Kaden also loves you very much and your best friend is Shakia." She rattled off easily. My eyes widened as she talked because every piece of that information was true. "I'm not going to sugar coat it kid, but it's not a good idea to have a lot of people you love when you are in the Games."

My forehead creased at this, I didn't know what she meant by it. I decided to not talk about it when we entered the dining car.

"There you guys are! What took you so long?" Asked Sonya. I looked past Seeder and saw Thresh who waved at me and a large figure next to him. He also had dark skin and dark hair but he was opposite of me, he was large and had big muscles, like Thresh.

"I was evaluating Rue." She answered and sat down across from the man. I stood there for a second before following after her. I sat down next to her since Thresh was sitting next to his mentor. I didn't know much about our past victors because no one had bothered to tell me about it.

"This is Chaff, he is Thresh's mentor." Said Seeder. I nodded and Chaff looked up at me.

"She sure is small, Seeder. Think she has a chance?" He asked Seeder. My eyes narrowed at him when he doubted me. I knew I didn't have a big chance but it still wasn't nice to talk about someone that way.

"Just because I'm small doesn't mean I don't have a chance. I could climb a tree faster than you could say my name. I could also shoot you right through your eye with a slingshot if I wanted to." I said, defending myself. I sort of surprised myself because I had never spoken to someone like that, I could tell Thresh was surprised too by the look on his face.

"That's good, sweetie. But you have to remember what the other tributes are capable of doing." Said Chaff, his voice sarcastic when he called me sweetie. My eyes narrowed at him but instead of saying something else, I dug into whatever food was on my plate. I knew he was right but I just didn't like the fact.

As Seeder and Chaff talked, I stayed silent. I thought about exactly how right Chaff was. I remembered District 2's latest winner, Enobaria. She had killed someone just by biting their neck. I was immediately frightened and I wondered what the other tributes could do this year.

"So, about your images." Said Chaff. "Thresh is going to be intimidating and Rue is going to be sweet and innocent."

Seeder nodded and Sonya finally looked interested.

"And we already know that Rue can climb and use a slingshot. What can you do Thresh?" Asked Chaff.

"I am good with lifting heavy things and scythes." He answered.

"What's a scythe?" I asked, the word sounding new on my tongue.

"It's a farming tool. You use it to cut tall plants." Answered Seeder, when she saw that I was still confused she answered again. "It's a curved sword on a wooden stick."

"Oh! Thanks." I said, blushing from embarrassment.

They continued to talk about strategies and weapons so I just zoned out. I was brought back to the conversation at hand when Sonya told us that the Reapings from other districts were about to be played and we had to watch.

I followed Seeder, Chaff and Thresh to the next car over where there was a couch and a TV. Sonya turned it on to the right channel and everyone got settled in.

"Make sure you guys pay attention, this is important. You get to size up your opponents. I know that someone wasn't paying attention at the dinner table." Said Seeder, turning her gaze at me but I kept my eyes on the TV.

District 1's tributes didn't look bad but I knew that they could kill me if they wanted to. It was a blond girl dressed up nicely and a brown haired boy who was very lean and not very muscular. Their names were Glimmer and Marvel.

District 2's tributes scared me the most. The girl was named Clove and she looked violent and scary. The boy was named Cato and he had the biggest muscles I had ever seen in my life. My eyes widened at the thought of him getting to kill me. Thresh would probably be his biggest competition. Both of them had volunteered.

District's 3-10 didn't really show any competition to Thresh but they were to me. The only one who stood out was a girl who appeared to have a fox-like appearance from District 5. She seemed smart and she looked like she knew what she was doing.

It was horrible to watch my own reaping. Seeing my sister push through the crowd, screaming my name. Seeing them take her away and my family in tears. I had to look away and Seeder put her hand awkwardly on my back.

District 12's was the most interesting. A small blond 12 year old was also chosen, like me, I was sort of relieved that I wasn't the only 12 year old but then an older brown haired girl ran through the crowd yelling the girl's name. They must have been sisters because I had only heard my sister call my name like that. The brown haired girl volunteered while the blond girl sobbed. A boy that looked like the brown haired girl came to take the younger one away. Her name was Katniss. The boy tribute was strong looking but he didn't look threatening. His name was Peeta.

The screen went black and we all sat in silence at what we just watched.

"I'm going to bed." Said Chaff as he stood up and walked out of the room, Seeder followed him.

"I'm going also." I said, yawning. "Goodnight."

I walked to my room and I didn't even bother to change into my pajamas. I was so tired I just lie down on my bed and shut out the lights. In the darkness, I rubbed my necklace and remembered my family.

I fell into a dreamless sleep which I was thankful for. Because if I did dream, I didn't know what horrors my nightmares would hold.

**Sorry for no song in this chapter! I need your suggestions!**

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


	5. Chapter 5

You'll Be Alright-Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG**

**Rue's POV**

I woke up to the sunlight softly shining in through my window. I yawned and stretched in my bed and checked my clock. It was around 9:30, I should probably get up now. I would definitely be visiting the tree room again. That is what I am going to start calling it.

I pushed the covers off of me and walked over to my closet. I grabbed the nearest outfit and changed. I brushed my teeth in the bathroom and combed my hair. When I was satisfied, I walked out of my room and to the dining car.

I walked in to find everyone already awake and eating. Seeder seemed to have taken a liking to me since I had met her yesterday; she looked up at me and waved.

"Good morning, Rue. You slept late this morning." She commented, going back to eating.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I needed to catch up on my sleep from waking up early every day." I said, pulling out my chair and sitting down in it. "Good morning Thresh, Sonya and Chaff."

"Hey, Rue. Is your stomach been feeling better? I probably should have asked you that yesterday." Said Thresh, smiling at himself for forgetting.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A woman came into my room yesterday after lunch and gave me some medicine." I explained. I started to eat some of my breakfast. "Oh yeah! Sonya, thanks for sending the woman to give me medicine yesterday."

"You're welcome, Rue. You seem to be unusually happy this morning, is there a reason for that?" She asked me, taking a sip of some weird blue drink.

"Well, I was excited to go to this cool room that I found yesterday where trees could grow out of the ground and I had a lot of fun there yesterday." I said, my face lighting up when I talked about it.

"I see, well I hope you can enjoy it while you can." Said Sonya, going back to her breakfast.

"You can't, we are focusing on your image today. Even though you seem to have the sweet and innocent thing down, you have to work on what your strategy is and how you will present yourself." Said Chaff, seeming grumpy. I huffed at him and stuck my tongue out at him when he wasn't looking. Seeder laughed at me and Thresh cracked a smile.

"So, how are your survival skills right now?" Asked Chaff, glancing at me and Thresh.

"I know the basics; I can gather berries, roots, herbs, things like that." I answered. They taught us about poisonous and edible plants in school just in case an unusual plant was growing in the fields. "But I can survive."

"I know a little bit. I can tell some poisonous and some edible but I should probably study that when we train." Said Thresh, seeming embarrassed about it.

"At least you know something. The Careers don't know much about that in that department since they mostly rely on the cornucopia food and supplies. They would be helpless without it." Said Chaff.

"So, you both know how to get food, you can both use a weapon, and what arena are you most comfortable in?" Asked Seeder, biting into scrambled eggs.

"The forest." I answered right away. "Or someplace with a lot of trees."

"Probably someplace to hide in, like tall grass or something." Said Thresh. Chaff and Seeder nodded and we continued our breakfast, talking about strategies and stuff. I got bored pretty fast.

"Can I _please _go now?" I pleaded. I asked Seeder since she was my mentor and I think that she liked me more than Chaff did. She stared at me, a battle clearly going on in her head. She sighed after a few seconds.

"Fine, but I want you to be ready to get off of this train in 1 hour. We should be arriving in the Capitol soon." Sighed Seeder. A big grin spread across my face and I bolted out of my chair. "But be careful, Rue!" She called out.

"I will!" I yelled back, running to the tree room.

I ran the whole way there, pushing my legs faster and faster. I almost ran into one of those strange silent people.

"Sorry!" I called out, not bothering to stop. She just stopped, pushing her back against the wall, watching me in awe as I flew down the hall.

I forgot to ask Seeder who they were and why they were so silent! I have to remember when we get to the Capitol.

I opened the door to the tree room and walked over to the panel on the wall. I touched it and the screen lit up, I tapped the option 'orchard' and I watched as the walls change and the trees grow before my eyes. I still grinned at them even if I had seen them do it yesterday.

I reached out and touched the bark of a tree and rubbed my hand against it. It made me feel so at home in this strange place. I gripped a branch and pulled myself up into the tree. I climbed to the very top and I smelled the sappy scent that the Capitol had somehow managed to put the scent in the trees.

The sound of the door opening and shutting made me pause in my actions. I froze in fear of who had come. I knew that no one on this train would hurt me but I was still cautious. I turned my head silently to the door and listened for any noise.

"Rue! I know you're in here." Called a voice that sounded like Chaff. I grinned and peered through a crack in the trees to see him standing on the ground, scanning the trees.

I slipped silently down one branch at a time until I was at the lowest branch. I hung down and grinned at Chaff when he whipped his head around at the noise.

"Then come and get me." I giggled and yanked myself back up into the trees. I hopped from branch to branch across the room, from tree to tree.

I paused, waiting and listening for Chaff. I heard nothing but I squealed when I felt a hand wrap around my leg and swiftly pull me out of the tree.

"Gotcha." Smiled Chaff. And we both burst into laughter and he put me down on the ground.

"How did you sneak up on me like that?" I asked, finally calming down, but a big grin still stood on my face.

"I've had practice." He said, his smile slowly leaving his face as he thought about his 'practice'. Mine disappeared also and I put a hand reassuringly on his arm. He looked at me, his smile returning to his face.

"So, why did you come here?" I asked, hopping up onto one of the low branches of a tree so I could sit down.

"I just wanted to talk to you about Seeder." He said, leaning against one of the trees. "She's changed now that you're here."

My eyebrows crinkled and I gave him a questioning look as Chaff folded his arms.

"She loves you already. She sees you in her niece, Chaya. She seems happier ever since she showed up with you at the dining car." He said, and I looked down at my hands. I felt happy and sad at the same time. "I just wanted to thank you for that. She hasn't seen her niece for 2 years, Chaya was killed from dehydration." He said, anger creeping into his voice. "Or so we thought." He added angrily, but under his breath, but I still heard it. But I didn't ask him about it.

"You do know that I'm not returning, right? I'm sorry for making her so happy; it just means that I'm making another person sad once I face my death. I know it's going to happen, I can feel it." I said, my hands fidgeting. "It's my time." I added softly.

"No Rue, it's not your time. You're 12 years old, you shouldn't deserve to die." He told me, but I refused to make eye contact. It was silent after that; I played with my hands, refusing to look up at him. "We should be arriving in 45 minutes. Don't hurt yourself."

"Yeah, like I could hurt myself. I couldn't hurt myself even if I wanted to." I scoffed, a smiled taking its place on my face.

"Whatever you say." Said Chaff, walking out of the car.

I smiled after him and climbed back up into the tree. I sat up there and fell asleep thinking about home.

~o~0~o~0~

I woke up to the sound of a robotic voice telling me that we would be arriving at the Capitol soon. I hopped down from my tree and walked over to the panel.

I tapped the reset button and watched the room magically transform for the last time. I walked out and held my breath through the liquor car.

When I walked into the dining car, which is where our group usually seems to meet now, I saw Thresh sitting on the couch with Sonya who was fiddling with the radio. Seeder was watching her with amusement and Chaff wasn't in sight.

I sat down on the couch next to Seeder and also watched Sonya try to turn on the radio. It made me smile at her, how she couldn't work a simple contraption after living in the Capitol for so long.

"There!" Exclaimed Effie, she smiled widely and set the radio down on the low table in front of us.

A strange song came on that I had never heard of before. It had a strange beat and I tried to listen to the lyrics.

_Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me,  
Town to get me movin'  
Keep me groovin' with some energy_

Well, I talk about it,  
Talk about it  
Talk about it  
Talk about it

Talk about,  
Talk about,  
Talk about moving

"What is this song?" I asked, looking to Seeder or Sonya for answers.

"It's called Funkytown. It's quite old but I guess the Capitol found it and put it on the radio." Responded Sonya, dancing in her seat and humming along.

_Won't you take me to, Funkytown?_

_Won't you take me to, Funkytown?_

_Won't you take me to, Funkytown?_

_Won't you take me to, Funkytown?___

Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me,  
Town to get me movin'  
Keep me groovin' with some energy.

Well, I talk about it,  
Talk about it  
Talk about it  
Talk about it

"Come on! Dance with me!" Said Sonya, standing up in her high heels.

I giggled as she pulled my hands and lifted me up from my seat. I didn't really know how to dance so I just copied Sonya's movements. She didn't seem to care, I just laughed along with her while we danced to the music. I heard Seeder and Thresh laughing at us also.

"Ok, that's enough." Said Thresh, rolling his eyes at us but a smile was on his face. He reached for the radio and turned it off easily.

I plopped down next to Seeder, tired out from my dance with Sonya.

"Hey Seeder, you know those people with the red clothing and weird makeup on?" I asked her, turning towards her. She nodded a little uncomfortably at me. "Who are they and why don't they talk?"

"Well, they are called Avoxes. They are servants to the Capitol. When you commit a crime, you usually become an Avox." Said Seeder, obviously not comfortable with this topic.

"But why don't they talk?" I asked, my forehead crinkling. No one said anything for a couple seconds. "Just tell me, it's not like you're going to scare me." I said, crossing my arms.

"They can't talk because they get their tongues cut off." Answered Thresh. My eyes widened and I looked to Seeder and Sonya for confirmation. They nodded and a sad look crossed my face.

"We have arrived at the Capitol." Said the robotic voice.

We glanced at the walls and ceiling before standing up. My hand went up to my necklace and I clutched it tightly.

"Ready, guys?" Asked Seeder, putting an arm around me.

I nodded and the doors opened, revealing the Capitol.

**I got the Funkytown idea from Madame Kasumi. She's been a great reviewer!**

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


	6. Chapter 6

You'll Be Alright-Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG**

**Rue's POV**

I watched the crowd with wide eyes as Seeder's hand on my back led me out of the train. Everyone here was so strange.

There was a woman with whiskers coming out of her cheeks like a cat. There was a man with a sharp pointy nose that could poke you really hard. Some people had different colored skin or weird colored hair.

But they all had one thing in common; they were all cheering and screaming at me and Thresh. Seeder and Chaff led us to a car that would take us to the building that we would be staying in until the Games.

Chaff shut the car door after Seeder and I got in and hurried to the other side of the car to get in next to Thresh. The car was rather long, longer than the other cars I had seen here. It was also personalized with some weird lights and drinks and even a little TV.

"This is called a limo. It's the car where special people get to ride in." Said Seeder, seeing me look around the car. I saw Chaff open a hidden compartment and pulled out a pink colored drink.

"Cool." I commented, still a little shaken up by the Capitol people. Thresh seemed a bit overwhelmed as well.

Shortly, we pulled up in front of the building and we were escorted inside. The Capitol people swarmed us but there were Peacekeepers there to keep them away from us. As soon as we entered the building we would be staying in, the Capitol people disappeared and there were only Avoxes and Peacekeepers around.

Seeder and Chaff ushered us into an elevator and Seeder pushed a button labeled 11 and the elevator shot upwards. I gasped at the pace and a couple seconds later, the doors slid open to reveal an apartment.

It was positively amazing. The dining table was set and it was a big piece of glass, there were plush carpets and comfy looking sofas. There was a big TV in front of the couches with a fireplace underneath and it was all completed with decorations.

Seeder and Chaff walked past me and Thresh as if they lived here. Chaff sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to some show that I had never seen before and Seeder started walking to the hallway that led to other doorways.

"I think I'm going to take a nap, all this traveling makes me tired." She announced and walked deeper into the hallway. I heard a door shut and then there was the sound of the TV while Thresh and I just stood.

"I'm going to go look around." I told Thresh and he nodded, walking over to the couch to watch whatever was on the TV.

I started walking towards where Seeder went since there didn't seem to be any doors in the living room and dining room other than the elevator. The hallway was quite long, with doors lining both walls. The ones not in use were cracked open and I guessed that the closed ones were the Avoxes or Seeder's.

I continued down the hallway to find nothing but a dark room that was empty and was cracked open. I pushed it open hesitantly and saw that no one was in there and that there was no furniture or anything.

I looked on the wall for a light switch or something but found nothing. I shrugged and pulled the door closed and started walking back towards the living room. Maybe they had a roof or I could check out what was on the bottom floor.

"Where are you going?" I heard Thresh ask, watching me as I walked towards the elevator. I pressed button and waited for the elevator to come up.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully, staring at the doors and waiting for them to open. I heard a ding and the doors slid open and I stepped inside.

I looked at the array of buttons; they had the numbers 1-12 which I'm guessing is where each district's tributes stay. Then there was the 'lobby' button which I'm guessing took you to where we came in, a button labeled 'training center' and a button labeled 'roof'. I pushed the button labeled roof and the doors shut and shot upwards.

I was there in a short amount of time since my floor was so high up anyway. The doors opened with a ding and I was met with a beautiful sight. There were small potted plants scattered around the ground and a nice little table with chairs. Then there was a ledge with no fence or anything, just empty air after you stepped off, strange.

"It's an electric fence." A male voice said, causing me to jump out of my skin. I whipped my body around to find District 3's male tribute. I recognized him from the reapings and he had a band on his bicep labeled 3. I saw no need to fear this boy; he seemed around my age, maybe 13 or 14.

"Will it hurt if you touch it?" I asked, relaxing my form. I glanced at the empty space where a fence would be warily.

"Not really." The boy said, walking over to the ledge and reaching his hand out. I heard a zap and the boy's hand bounced back into the area of the roof. "It pushes you back onto the roof so you don't fall off." He explained, staring at the invisible fence.

"How do you know?" I asked, walking over to where he was.

"I'm from District 3, we do technology and we invented these. I have been taught all about the technology in the Capitol." He said, gazing out at the vast buildings.

"Wow, all I do is pick fruit from trees." I said lamely, my face drooping from how boring my job sounded compared to his.

"That sounds fun, you get to be in the trees all the time and the fruit must taste so good." Said the boy, smiling at the image he conjured up in his mind.

"Our district isn't fun." I said, looking at him like he was crazy. "We haven't tasted a morsel of the food we pick. And the weather is extremely hot, kids fall out of trees, you can die from tracker jackers, mockingjays or other birds, small animals or dehydration and starvation." I listed and the boy's eyes widened at every word I said.

"Really? Wow, I just have to worry about getting electrocuted or something blowing up in my face." Laughed the boy and I chuckled.

"Well, that's dangerous too." I commented, sitting down on the ledge. I liked this boy, but as a friend. My hand went to my necklace as I thought of Kaden.

"Who gave you that necklace?" He asked, pointing to it and taking a seat across from me.

"My boyfriend." I answered, the word tasting strange on my tongue. "He made it for me before I left and I've worn it ever since." I looked out at the city, avoiding the boy's eyes and my fingers traced the familiar lines of the necklace.

"That's nice of him. I can't really make anything like that, only machines." He commented and stood up when he saw that I was lost in thought. "Well, it was nice meeting you, District 11. See you later." He said and walked to the elevator.

"Bye." I called softly after him but I didn't think he heard me.

My prep team had finally deemed me perfect in every way, and left me on the 'operating table' for my designer to inspect me. It felt odd without any clothes on in this cold hard place but it didn't seem like anyone cared.

I heard the sound of the door opening and in walked a lady with crazy bright red hair and very long eyelashes. Her lips consisted of green lipstick and her eyelids had blue eye shadow caked on. Her outfit was outrageous, it was a dark green dress that hugged her body but poofed out in random spots and her heels were ridiculously high.

"Hi, I'm Lissette. I will be your designer for the Games. My other designer Patton is going to be helping me create the perfect outfits for you to wear before the Games. I'm sure you are excited for them, no?" Asked Lissette, walking over to me, her heels making loud clicking noises against the tiles.

"Not really, I'm not sure if I'm ready for them." I said truthfully, knowing she was a Capitol citizen; she would be excited for the Games.

"I'm sure you will be fine dear, you will look fabulous if you die anyway." She said, unaware of her rude comment.

Lissette had me stand up so she could examine me better and she made rude comments about my skinny arms and my muscular legs. She complained about my hair and some of the harsh scrapes from the trees on my body.

"Now, let's get you into your parade dress. It's marvelous! You will love it; it's based off the olden days, way way way before the dark days. Back when people like yourself, were called farmers and they wore overalls and strange plaid shirts. I don't know how that was ever fashionable but yet 'skinny jeans' were also in fashion back then, no? And what a terrible mistake that was, those things are quite ugly. Make your legs look like sticks." Rambled Lissette, pulling a bag out of a hidden closet.

Lissette continued on talking to herself about the strange fashions before the dark days, some of these things I had never heard before like 'yoga pants' or 'rompers'. She finally zipped up the back of my dress and I looked down at it.

It was indeed plaid and like overalls except it was a dress. It was sort of short and stopped right about my knees. It was very fluffy and flouncy. Lissette sat me down in a chair and started to place a strange crown on my head that looked like a stalk of wheat.

"Beautiful, you are perfect. Everyone will love you." Said Lissette, smiling at me. She clapped her hands and led me out of the room.

Thresh was standing in the hallway along with crazily dressed man. He also had weird hair and his skin was tinted blue.

"You both look wonderful!" Exclaimed who I'm guessing is Patton. I smiled at him and was about to thank him but he turned to lead us to where the chariots would be. Lissette followed him and so did Thresh and I.

We both exchanged looks at our outfits and designers before smiling at each other. After that, I started to get nervous. We arrived at the gates of where the chariots would come out and we saw all of the other tributes getting ready.

District 1 was wearing some frilly pink outfit, District 2 was wearing some weird gold armor, District 3 was wearing some glittery sliver stuff with a head piece. I waved at the boy and he smiled and waved back. I scanned the rest of the tributes, taking in their strange looking costumes.

I stopped at District 12, the girl who had volunteered for her sister looked beautiful with her hair and makeup done like that. But they were only wearing tight black suits, what were they supposed to be representing?

I just thought I would figure it out later and jogged to keep up with my designers. We stopped at a pair of brown horses in a wooden chariot. Patton showed us where to stand and everything.

"Ok, I want you 2 to wave nicely at all of the people and act all sweet. Especially you Rue, I want you to play up that sweet innocent girl. Thresh you can keep the intimidating strong guy thing but make sure to flash a smile at the ladies and wave at them for more sponsors." Said Chaff, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Ok, is that it?" I asked, getting a little nervous.

"Yeah, pretty much." He answered. "Just don't do anything stupid." He added and walked away.

"Are you ready?" Asked Lissette, smiling at us.

"Sure." I answered and then our horses started moving. I gripped the side of the chariot for a second but then let go as the horses smoothed their walk out.

We passed through the gates and entered the long road that we were supposed to travel on. We were greeted by flashing lights and screaming people. I remembered what Chaff said so I started smiling sweetly and waving at everyone.

People started throwing flowers at me and I caught one, and I waved in their direction. All of a sudden, the screams got louder and not as many flowers were thrown at me. I didn't stop looking ahead at what was going on behind me. It must be District 12 that's causing all the commotion.

Our chariot stopped in a formation and I noticed District 12's outfits were on fire. I freaked out for a second but then I realized that it wasn't hurting them. That explains why their outfits were black, they were pieces of coal and now they are on fire.

I pulled my gaze away as I heard President Snow's deep voice. I didn't really pay attention, trying to look brave since I was on camera for all of Panem to see. I bet Kaden is watching right now, well of course he is, but the thought made me happy he could see me before I died. Even though I couldn't.

All of a sudden our chariot lurched forward and pulled us out of sight. Lissette, Patton, Seeder and Chaff were waiting for us where our chariot stopped. Lissette, Patton and Seeder had big smiles on their faces and Chaff just had a look of approval on his face. I smiled back as I hopped off the chariot and Seeder gave me a hug.

"You guys were great! You both played your part perfectly." Said Seeder excitedly, looking down at me.

"Well, Rue could have made her performance sweeter and District 12 did steal the show with their fire costumes." Criticized Lissette and Seeder glared at her. I turned my head around to see District 12's tributes not on fire anymore, but I did notice the epic stare off between Katniss and Cato.

It looked like Cato wanted to snap Katniss in half, literally. But Katniss didn't seem to be phased or afraid; she seemed to be saying, 'bring it on'. I would have laughed at it but instead I wanted to throw up because Cato probably would snap Katniss in half.

"Let's head back up to the room, dinner is waiting and we get to watch the re-cap of the parade." Said Seeder, putting her arm on my shoulder and guiding me to the elevator.

When all 6 of us fit in, surprisingly, we pressed the number 11 and the elevator shot upward. I wanted to remove my crown thing because it was hurting my head but I couldn't really move my arms. The doors dinged open and we all shuffled out. Dinner was in fact waiting on the table and the first thing our mentors and stylists did was head for the table but I took off the crown and scratched my head.

"Rue! You messed up your hair, after all that time and work- do you know how long it took to get those knots out of your hair?" Scolded Lissette, glaring at me.

"Sorry, the crown was hurting my head." I apologized and took my seat at the table. I wanted to change out of my dress off but I was sort of afraid of what Lissette would say.

"So, you both start training tomorrow. I want you to practice everything as much as you can. Training lasts for 3 days and then you have interviews and then the Games." Said Chaff, eating a strange green piece of gloop.

"Everything? In 3 days?" I asked, my food still untouched.

"Eat up, Rue. You have to be ready for tomorrow." Said Seeder, her plate already half finished.

"And you have the private evaluation with the Gamemakers on the last day of training." Added Chaff, pointing his fork at me. I scowled and dug my fork into a blue piece of food that resembled a piece of meat.

"Hurry, you'll miss it!" Called Patton from the couch even though we were in view of the television. Lissette and Patton were both holding pink colored drinks in wavy shaped glasses.

"We're right here." Assured Seeder as she sat down next to her. The rest of us took our seats on the couch.

"Hello folks! I'm Caesar Flickerman, the man with all you need to know. Tonight we are showing the parade for this year's Hunger Games. And my oh my, what a parade it was this year. Let's take a look shall we?" Caesar practically yelled into the camera before the screen switched from his smiling face to the vast cement road where chariots were rolling down the center.

"District 1 looks marvelous in those fluffy, pink items. I bet those will be sold out by tomorrow. And District 2, with their gladiator suits from the Roman times I believe." Caesar continued on like that for each district. I was dying of boredom until our district came up.

"Here comes District 11, with our little 12 year old Rue in her cute little farmer's dress. And Thresh, wow, he almost rivals Cato from District 2." He commented and everyone cheered that we got the message across.

"And the ones who stole the show, District 12. I almost had a, what did they used to call it? Oh right, a heart attack, when I saw those flames I thought we would need to throw some water on them. But Katniss looks amazing in flames, and Peeta is extremely handsome." He said, a big smile on his face.

I watched with wonder at them, the fake flames licking up their bodies. Katniss Everdeen, Girl on Fire.

"Well, that's all folks! I hope to see you tomorrow night for our 'Fashion Fabulous' interview with the none other, Miss Gaga. We get to see her inspiration of an old time singer, Lady Gaga, from before the Dark Days. Tune in later to see the parade again! I'm Caesar Flickerman, the man with all you need to know." He finished with a huge smile that showed all of his teeth. The screen flickered to the parade again but the screen went black as someone turned it off.

"Alright, time for bed." Said Seeder, turning to me.

"No way, I'm not even tired." I said, shaking my head.

"Then I'm going to tickle you until you agree to go to bed." She said and reached over to start tickling my sides.

I laughed and laughed, tears coming to my eyes and my sides started to hurt.

"Ok! Ok, ok, I'm going to bed." I surrendered and Seeder's hands disappeared. I saw Thresh chuckling at us and Chaff had a small smile on his face. Lissette and Patton were chatting away, ignoring us.

"Goodnight." I called, walking out of the room.

"Rue, excuse me, can we please have a proper goodnight?" I heard Lissette's high voice call after me. I rolled my eyes and turned around to walk into the room again.

"Goodnight everyone." I said, curtsying and pulling the sides of my dress up slightly with two hands.

"Thank you, Rue." Said Lissette and I heard Chaff, Seeder and Thresh laughing at me. I smiled and left the room again.

I found my room and stripped down before slipping on some pajamas. I flopped down on my bed, aching from where Seeder tickled me and my body tired from all the prepping. I almost fell asleep but I remember something.

I got up and ran over to my dresser; on top of it sat my rue necklace. I smiled at it and tied it around my neck. Lissette made me take it off for the parade and she wanted to throw it away but I wouldn't let her. I sprinted back to my bed, my body finding a spurt of energy, before slipping under the sheets. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

**I made a blog so that you can see when updates might be and such, the link is on my profile.**

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


	7. Bonus Chapter

You'll Be Alright-Bonus Chapter

**This is a bonus chapter that I made as an apology for not updating often. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG**

**Seeder's POV**

I watched Rue's back as she disappeared again into the dark hallway to her bedroom. I ghost of a smile was still on my lips as I turned my head back around to face forward. I felt Chaff's eyes on me and I looked back at him.

"What?" I asked, my eyebrows scrunching together.

"You're becoming attached." He says, looking at me worriedly.

"Yeah, too attached. She reminds me so much of her though. I feel like a part of Chaya is in her and I wanted to get another chance with her just in case I never see her again." I sighed, tears forming in my eyes as I poured out what I was thinking.

"I know, but you don't know if she's coming back and we both know it. It will make it harder on you if you know that Rue and Chaya died. You'll be experiencing Chaya's death twice." Explained Chaff, putting a hand on my arm.

I sniffed the tears back, realizing he was right. Chaff might be a little too truthful but at least he was right. I was glad that Lissette and Patton were too in depth to hear what we were talking about but Thresh wasn't. He had heard the whole thing but he didn't know what we were talking about.

"I'm going to bed." I said, rubbing the tears from my eyes once again.

"Ok Seeder, I'll see you in the morning." Called Chaff and then he went silent.

I trudged back to my room, shedding my clothes and putting on more comfy ones. I pulled the covers back slowly, reminding me of when I used to tuck Chaya into bed at night.

"_Auntie Seeder! Auntie Seeder! You gotta catch me!" Her high child like voice screamed as she ran in circles around her room. I laughed and ran slowly after her, giving her a chance to get away._

_It was after the Games, before Snow had killed her. I wasn't going to do what he wanted me to do; he wanted me to be sold. Like Finnick Odair is now, but I refused, thinking I could protect my family from him. But he still got to her._

"_I'm going to get you, Chaya." I chuckled, grabbing her waist from behind and pulling her to my stomach. She screeched but laughed as I placed kisses all over the top of her head. "Ok, time for bed." I told her once she calmed down._

"_No, I don't wanna." She pouted, crossing her arms. _

"_Then I'm going to tickle you." I said, a smile dancing on my lips. I tickled her stomach, the place she was most ticklish until she was gasping for air and said she was going to pee her pants."Are you ready for bed now?"_

"_Yes, Auntie Seeder." She answered, scowling at me but her lips twitching at a smile. She crawled into bed and I tucked the sheets in around her chin._

"_Now, you be good, ok? I'll be back tomorrow, to visit you again but you have to be good for your mommy." I told her, looking right into her eyes._

"Okay, _Auntie Seeder. I'll be good, don't worry." She said, smiling at me, dimples digging deep down into her cheeks._

"_Good." I said, placing a kiss on her forehead. "See you tomorrow, Cha-Cha." I told her, getting up from the bed and turning the light off._

_I saw her roll her eyes and scowl despite the darkness, she hated that nickname but I think she secretly liked it. _

"_Night, Auntie Seeder." She answered and I shut the door._

I rested my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. My brain still filled with the happy memory of us.

**Please review!**

**~Miss Embers**


End file.
